No one left in their corner except the people that really matter

Ethanol advocates claim that the biofuel is a cheap, renewable energy source that reduces pollution and our dependence on foreign oil. It sounds too good to be true—and it is.

Ethanol, especially the corn-based variety, is bad for taxpayers, bad for consumers, bad for the environment, and horrible for the world's poor. In fact, even environmentalists are critical of ethanol subsidies these days. The ethanol craze has distorted markets and increased the price of food worldwide. The only people who still support ethanol subsidies are the ethanol producers—and politicians from both sides of the aisle. Together, they make sure the subsidies keep coming.

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What do you think would happen to the stock market if the President came out tomorrow and said he was going to work towards lifting the ban on off-shore drilling? What if he said he was going to do that on the condition that the oil companies use state-of-the-industry technology and that the EPA would be living in their back pocket, extracting major fines for violations? Do you think that might be a boon to the markets? Do you think that might be a far more reasonable way to lessen our dependence on foreign oil than what we're doing now?

Shoot, we’d even allow for a portion of Big Oil profits to subsidize alternative energy research and production. You heard that correctly. We would gladly allow for that because anything…. anything is better than the counter-productive non-policy we have right now.

Unfortunately, the adults aren’t calling the shots right now and they haven’t been for quite a while.